Shots fired in Oakland

Several shots were fired this afternoon in Oakland, although no injuries were… Several shots were fired this afternoon in Oakland, although no injuries were reported.

At least three shots were fired by unknown actors, striking two cars parked on either side of the road near the corner of Dawson Street and Oakland Avenue.

The incident, which occurred at about 12:30 p.m., brought several curious residents out of their homes as police arrived. A city police officer and two Pitt police officers responded to the incident.

Police blocked off traffic on Dawson Street until about 1 p.m. After that, officers took several statements from witnesses.

One bullet shattered the rear and a side windows of a blue Ford SUV parked on the south side of Dawson, and another pair of bullets punched through the front of a red Hyundai sedan. One bullet went through the hood and the other through the front bumper.

Witnesses reported that they heard about six shots, with a pause in the middle of them.

Conversations overheard by the police scanner indicated that police were looking for a pair of cars involved in the incident, which apparently fled the scene at high speeds.

Ria Knasiak, a Pitt student, said that at first she thought the sounds were firecrackers, but when she came out of her apartment on Dawson Street, she quickly realized what was going on. The scene didn’t seem to bother her much though.

“What am I going to be afraid of?” Knasiak said while sitting several feet from the damaged Ford. “Nobody was hurt.”

Casey Callendar, a Point Park University alum, came by after her roommates told her about the shooting. “I thought that I lived on the safe end of Oakland,” she said.

Pitt police left shortly before 1:30 p.m. and the city police cruiser pulled away from the scene just after 1:45 p.m.

Check www.pittnews.com later for updated coverage.